| Aghori Mhori Mei | ||||
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| Released | August 2, 2024 (2024-8-2) | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2024[1][2] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:41 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | Billy Corgan | |||
| The Smashing Pumpkins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Aghori Mhori Mei | ||||
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Aghori Mhori Mei is the thirteenth studio album by American rock bandthe Smashing Pumpkins. The album was released digitally on August 2, 2024, through Martha's Music andThirty Tigers.[3][4] Physical versions of the album were released on November 22, 2024.[5] This is the band's first album sinceZeitgeist (2007) to not feature guitaristJeff Schroeder, following his departure in 2023.
The album was written and recorded over a two-year period and is billed as a "rock and roll guitar record".[1] Written and produced by Billy Corgan, the album is aprogressive rock,alternative rock andheavy metal record. The composition is largely driven by a mix of guitar, bass and drums with some mid-tempo tracks utilizingsynthesizer and orchestral arrangements. The album had nosingles prior to release. "Sighommi" was released as the first single from the album on August 2, 2024.
Upon the album's release, critical and fan reception was generally positive. Many reviewers praised the album and the band for returning to familiar territory, incorporating a heavier sound reminiscent of their earlier work. Some critics found issue with the production and mixing of the album, particularly around the vocal performance and mix.
In December 2022, DrummerJimmy Chamberlin posted through his officialInstagram account that the band were "back in the studio".[2] In May 2023,Billy Corgan announced that the band had already began work on a follow-up album totriple albumAtum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts (2022–2023). The band initially recorded 20 songs for the album with Corgan wanting to put out a record with "somewhere in the neighbourhood of 10 to 12 songs".[6] Corgan described the album a "straight up rock and roll guitar record" and stated that "it very much sounds like theSiamese Dream /Mellon Collie version of the band.[6]
In June 2024, Corgan gave an update on the band having worked on the album for "almost two years now". He described the pressure of recording new material to deadlines, stating that "It's not healthy, but I've gotten used to it through the years". He reiterated that "It's very much a rock, guitar record, old school" and that "old-school fans will be happy, for once".[1]
In an interview withAudacy in August 2024, Corgan described how the band wanted to get into the "mindset" of recording songs in the spirit ofSiamese Dream but not replicating the exact sound. Explaining that "you go back to the old school but with a new version of yourself", he further elaborated on using the old processes; "You just move on into other pastures, good and bad. You take your lumps as you go". The album was produced with the help of long-time band collaborator Howard Willing.[7]
The standard edition of the album consists of 10 songs, all written and produced by Billy Corgan with production assistance from Howard Willing. The album has elements ofprogressive rock,alternative rock,heavy metal andpop.[8][9][10] The album's sound was influenced by heavy metal bands such asBlack Sabbath andDio, with several tracks taking on the characteristics of heavy metal and progressive rock.[11] Some of the tracks such as "Goeth the Fall" take on a mid tempo ballad styling,[12][13] with "Who Goes There" leaning into a more "bittersweet pop"[10] presentation.
The meaning of the album title was debated in several publications, with some attempting to decipher the meaning.Classic Rock attempted to useChatGPT to give meaning to the title, without success. The magazine did give insight into the word "Aghori" relating to a "sect of Hindu ascetics known for their unconventional practices".[14] In their review of the album,Beats Per Minute concluded the same meaning for the word "Aghori". Going further they opined that the word "Mhori" was an "alteration" of the wordMahori, aSanskrit term that can mean "beautiful or attractive". They also tied the word "Mei" to aHindipossessive term.[12]
The album artwork and packaging was designed by visual artist and band collaborator Katelan Foisy.[16][17] It features a black-and-white picture of a spherical shaped object in the foreground, with two white lines of decreasing vertical distance in the background. The album artwork was inspired by photographs from theCassini–Huygensspace research mission to study theplanetSaturn and its system. Particular influence came from the mission's photographs of Saturn'sMoon,Titan.[15][18]
A unique gatefold vinyl variant of the album called"Aghori Mhori Mei: Madame ZuZu's edition" was released on 22 November 2024. The design of the alternative album cover is the same as the standard edition cover art, recolored in "chinoise red".[19]
In the writing of this new album I became intrigued with the well-worn axiom, 'you can't go home again', which I have found personally to be true in form but thought well, what if we tried anyway? Not so much in looking backwards with sentimentality but rather as a means to move forward; to see if in the balance of success and failure that our ways of making music circa 1990-1996 would still inspire something revelatory.
The album was released on August 2, 2024 through Martha's Music, and will be distributed digitally through streaming services and digital storefronts initially.[21] Physical copies of the album were released on November 22, 2024. An exclusive edition vinyl namedAghori Mhori Mei: Madame ZuZu's edition was released through frontman Billy Corgan'sChicago tea room Madame ZuZu's.[3] Corgan announced that no singles would be released prior to the album's release, explaining that the band "had to give the knee many times to what is the first song and what is the first statement and let other people judge us by one moment in time. We felt the right way to hear this record was an intact body of work".[20]
Despite no singles being released before the albums release, "Sighommi" was released as the first single on August 2, 2024.[22] It was promoted toalternative androck format radio stations in the United States. The track was the number one most-added track to these formats in its first week of release.[23] A double A-side 7" single featuring "Formosa" and "Our Lady of Sorrows" was released on November 22, 2024, free with the "Madame ZuZu's edition" of the album.[19]
In promotion for the album the band released a series ofAI altered videos. The videos alter the English language version, with Billy Corgan promoting the album in various languages, includingFrench,German andJapanese.[24]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[25] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [26] |
| Beats Per Minute | 82%[12] |
| Clash | 8/10[10] |
| The Irish Times |  [13] |
| Kerrang! | [8] |
| No Ripcord | 8/10[27] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.0/5[28] |
According to the review aggregatorMetacritic,Aghori Mhori Mei received "generally favorable reviews" based on aweighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 9 critic scores.[25]
A number of critics regarded the album as a return to form for the band.AllMusic highly praised the album, calling it "a rock & roll pyre lit with myth and memory".[26]Kerrang! praised the album, describing the album that as feeling "like the true return" and summarizing the record as "an excellent album that suggests intriguing possibilities going forward".[8]Clash magazine equally praised the album, describing that the band were "back and are ready to make a racket" and calling the album "a welcome surprise from one of rocks most unpredictable acts".[10]Beats Per Minute's John Wohlmacher called the album "a fully formed and cohesive work".[12]
Rolling Stone were more critical of the record. Describing that the band had "lost little of their brute force", the reviewer felt that the return to rock had "reduced the Pumpkins to an unrelenting and often oppressive metal band".[9] In a mixed review,The Irish Times Lauren Murphy opined that the album "lives up to expectations, for the most part". Singling out "Goeth the Fall", she called the track a "highlight".[13]
Some critics found issue with the album's production and mix.Clash noted criticism with a lack of dynamics and high vocal mix on recent albums, singling outCyr andAtum: A Rock Opera in Three Acts as examples. While the publication called the album's production a "massive improvement", the magazine suggested "working with an outside producer" going forward.[10]Sputnikmusic had similar criticisms, stating that the production "struggles to mask its own artifice", but did note production as a "step up from previous ventures".[28]Beats Per Minute singled out long-time collaborator Howard Willing, calling the vocal mix "noticeably digital" and that Willing "dries it up or modulates it unfavourably, adding tinny treble".[12]
Reception amongst fans was reported as being "positive" towards the album.[29] The album topped an "All-Genre Poll" ran byBillboard, with music fans naming their favorite new music release of the week.[30]
| Publication/critic | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | Favourite Rock Albums – 2024 | — | [31] |
| Loudwire | The 11 Best Rock Albums of 2024 Ranked | 7 | [32] |
| The 51 Best Rock + Metal Albums of 2024 | — | [33] | |
| Ultimate Classic Rock | Top 25 Rock Albums of 2024 | 16 | [34] |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Edin" | 6:46 |
| 2. | "Pentagrams" | 6:25 |
| 3. | "Sighommi" | 2:54 |
| 4. | "Pentecost" | 3:18 |
| 5. | "War Dreams of Itself" | 3:28 |
| 6. | "Who Goes There" | 3:28 |
| 7. | "999" | 5:43 |
| 8. | "Goeth the Fall" | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Sicarus" | 4:15 |
| 10. | "Murnau" | 4:59 |
| Total length: | 44:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Formosa" | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Our Lady of Sorrows" | 3:03 |
All songs written by William Patrick Corgan
The Smashing Pumpkins
Additional personnel
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[35] | 8 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] | 101 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] | 51 |
| Japan Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[38] | 36 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[39] | 43 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] | 17 |
| Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] | 10 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] | 22 |
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[43] | 6 |
| UK Album Sales (OCC)[44] | 21 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[45] | 9 |
| USBillboard 200[46] | 130 |
| USIndependent Albums (Billboard)[47] | 19 |
| USTop Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)[48] | 26 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 2, 2024[3] | Martha's Music | |
| Various | November 22, 2024[5] |
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